Books of the week — From Salman Rushdie's Quichotte to Assam: The Accord, The Discord, our picks

We love stories, and even in the age of Netflix-and-chill, there’s nothing like a good book that promises a couple of hours of absorption — whether curled up in bed, in your favourite coffeehouse, or that long (and tiresome) commute to work. Every Sunday, we’ll have a succinct pick of books, across diverse genres, that have been newly made available for your reading pleasure. Get them wherever you get your books — the friendly neighbourhood bookseller, e-retail website, chain store — and in whatever form you prefer. Happy reading! For more of our weekly book recommendations, click here . ***

– FICTION Quichotte By Salman Rushdie Penguin Random House India | Rs 699 | 416 pages Longlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2019, Quichotte is Salman Rushdie’s homage to Cervantes’ classic Dox Quixote. Inspired by Don Quixote, mediocre writer Sam DuChamp creates Quichotte, essentially placing the bumbling, brilliant knight in the modern day, a salesman who falls in love with a television star and sets off an adventure to declare that love. Rushdie, like Cervantes, satirises and comments on the culture and morality of his time, weaving the narrative together with his dazzling prose. Read more about the book here. Nothing Ventured By Jeffrey Archer Pan Macmillan India | Rs 399 | 336 pages The latest thriller by best-selling novelist Jeffrey Archer is Nothing Ventured, a story about the making of a detective. It introduces a new protagonist, William Warwick, who always wanted to be a detective. From training to working at Scotland Yard and meeting Beth Rainsford whom he falls in love with, the book follows Warwick as he navigates professional and personal mysteries. Nothing Ventured signals the start of a new series, with a detective who will face a nemesis throughout his career. Read an excerpt from the book here. Read more about the book here. Contingency Plans for the Apocalypse and Other Possible Situations By SB Divya Hachette India | Rs 399 | 264 pages Author and data scientist SB Divya’s Contingency Plans for the Apocalypse and Other Possible Situations is a collection of 14 science fiction stories that explore the concepts of identity and love in her speculative universes. The stories range from a biologist who cuts off from the world to do microbiota research to a couple secretly performing abortions in a dystopian future and a woman who competes to live in a world where body modifications equal class, among others. Read more about the book here. Call Me Al By Sheheryar Sheikh HarperCollins India | Rs 399 | 304 pages Award-winning author Sheheryar Sheikh’s new novel is a thrilling read about subcontinental politics. The protagonist, Altamaash, went from being an entertainer to a politician and created unprecedented chaos in Pakistan, before moving to London for a comfortable exile. However, he yearns to relive his days of power, and commits acts such as a double murder and propagating a countrywide riot, also deciding whether he should return to claim his glory. Read an excerpt from the book here. Read more about the book here. – NON-FICTION Flawed: The Rise and Fall of India’s Diamond Mogul Nirav Modi By Pavan C Lall Hachette India | Rs 399 | 240 pages Flawed: The Rise and Fall of India’s Diamond Mogul Nirav Modi traces the dramatic rise and fall of Nirav Modi, the businessman and diamond merchant whose Firestar Diamond International was on its way to becoming a global luxury company but instead imploded in 2018. Modi’s downfall and arrest brought to the fore allegations of defrauding banks to up to US $1.8 billion, and lays out the destabilising effects one man had on the whole diamond industry, the banking system, and the business community as a whole, resulting in an international scandal. Pavan Lall is an award-winning business journalist, who conducts interviews, references personal encounters, and does diligent research to trace this story. Read an excerpt from the book here. Read more about the book here. Wild Himalaya: A Natural History of the Greatest Mountain Range on Earth By Stephen Alter Aleph Book Company | Rs 899 | 440 pages Author Stephen Alter, who has spent most of his life in the mountains, travels to all the five countries that the Himalayas rest on – India, Pakistan, Bhutan, Nepal, and China. He presents on-ground reports of the range, bringing the mountains alive in all their beauty and complexity, showcasing his deep understanding of the region. The book is divided into eight sections: ‘Orogenesis,’ which is a geographical exploration; ‘The Third Pole,’ an inquiry about the weather and wetlands; ‘Flora Himalensis,’ about surrounding flora and fauna; ‘Winged Migrants,’ about the region’s birds and insects; ‘Mountain Mammals’ about unique mammals like brown bears and blue sheep; ‘Ancestral Journeys,’ which looks at human settlements, their origins and migrations; ‘At the Edge of Beyond,’ which recounts exhilarating mountaineering and adventure; and, ‘In a Thousand Ages of the Gods,’ which examines the art and culture of the Himalayas, myths like the Yeti, and issues of conservation. Read excerpts from the book here and here. Read more about the book here. Assam: The Accord, The Discord By Sangeeta Barooah Pisharoty Penguin Random House | Rs 599 | 272 pages In 1985, a six-year-long agitation against illegal Assamese immigrants was concluded with the signing of the Assam Accord, between the state and central governments and the All Assam Students Union (AASU); soon after, the students’ party Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) was voted to power, making Prafulla Kumar Mahanta the youngest chief minister of an Indian state. Assam: The Accord, The Discord is a study of the making and consequences of the Assam Accord. Sangeeta Barooah Pisharoty, born in Assam herself, is an award-winning journalist whose reportage specialises in the North East region. Read an excerpt from the book here. Read more about the book here.